A STINK BUG IN MY WATER

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 4 Comments

I don’t know how it has been where you live, but in our area I have never seen as many stink bugs as there have been this year. They get in the house, in the car and fly out of trees onto your clothes. They seem to be everywhere, like a plague of locusts that Moses called upon to blanket Egypt. Well, maybe they are not that numerous, but they sure are pesky little fellows. And don’t squash one or you will discover why they are called stink bugs!Stinkbug

I always keep drinking water in my car so I  can sip a few swallows  from time to time as I am traveling about from one location to another. The other day while I was waiting at a stoplight I thought it was a good time to gulp down a little water. As I reached for my water I noticed there was in my cup a stink bug performing a good imitation of Michael Phelps doing the breaststroke. I decided to let him have the water and I would wait until I got home to have a glass of H2o.

I got to thinking how true to life the incident was. There are stink bugs that are always intruding into life’s situations and circumstance. The writer of Ecclesiastes had his own bugs encroaching upon his life. He writes, “Dead flies in the perfume cause it to send forth a stinking smell” (Ecc. 10:1). Solomon’s statement is an old idiom that means one problem or unpleasant experience that pops-up in our lives can mess up an otherwise good “smelling” day and cause us to say, “Well, that stinks!”

Yes, there is always some irritating “stinkbug” waiting to get in our perfume and stink it up. That is the way life is. The stink bugs of life are everywhere, you can’t avoid them. They come in the form of unexpected trials that eventually come to us all, people who rub us the wrong way and get on our last nerve, disappointments, decisions we have made that didn’t turn out quite like we had hoped, health issues, a letter from the IRS that you owe them more money (which I got last week!) and the list goes on and on. As the saying goes, “Stuff happens.”

While we should be most thankful for those days we experience when the events of the day linger in the air like fine smelling perfume, we have to admit most days contain a “stink bug” or two. Now we have a choice when they appear in our lives. We can focus on the fly in the ointment and let it stink-up and affect our attitude and actions in everything we do and say, or we can focus on His presence and the many wonderful blessings the Good Lord has bestowed upon us.

We need to remember that no matter what “stink bugs” get in our perfume our focus must ever remain on Christ who loves us “and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice for a sweet smelling fragrance” (Eph. 5:2). Christ is our breath of fresh air and our sweet smelling fragrance in a fallen world that has its share of “stink bugs” that fly into our lives. By daily “looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2), when the unexpected happens, the fragrance of His presence surrounds us and the aroma of His life overpowers the putrefying stench of any “stink bug” that seeks to overtake us.

There is no sweeter fragrance than the eternal fragrance of grace found in Jesus Christ. Typified as the Lover in the Song of Solomon, Christ is daily “dropping sweet smelling myrrh” (S of Sol. 5:13) amidst the invading stench of a fallen world. He is the sweet smelling Rose of Sharon and the fragrance of His presence is eternally fresh. As Esther bathed herself in the sweet smelling fragrances of the Persians perfume, each day we must bath ourselves with the sweet fragrance of His presence so will not be overtaken when unexpected flies or stinkbugs seek to intrude into our lives – and they will.

As we daily, like Moses, communion with the Lord face to face as a man speaks unto his friend (Ex. 33:11), renew our mind with His Word, yield ourselves to His purifying Spirit and seek to walk in His chosen path for, the fragrance of His life will encompass us. While I cannot put a lid on the cup of life to keep out unwelcome circumstances and situations, I can drink from the cup of salvation wherein His sweet presence dwells (Ps. 116:17).

Now excuse me, I have to go put a lid on my cup of water in the car to prevent stink bugs from using it to practice their swimming.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

THE ROOT OF SOCIETAL WOES

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

The spiritual and moral woes that plague our society today can be traced back to the loss of the holiness of God and the awfulness of sin. The loss of a sense of the vileness and the destructiveness of sin is the result of the loss of the Holy. The Wisdom Writer wisely wrote, “Knowledge of the Holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). When we understand the Holy, we see our sin for what it is, and then we discover the power of grace found in the cross enables us to be something we could not otherwise be or do. P.T. Forsyth (1848-1921) was a prophetic writer ahead of his time. As I so often discover, Forsyth expresses thoughts much better than I ever could. Read him slowly and digest his words. They are words individuals and society today needs to urgently heed. The following are selected excerpts from two of his works.theholy

“To bring sin home, and to bring grace home, we need that something else should come home which alone gives meaning to both — the Holy. The grace of God cannot return to our preaching or to our faith till we recover what has almost clean gone from our general, familiar, and current religion, what liberalism has quite lost — I mean a due sense of the holiness of God. This sense has much gone from our public worship, with its frequent irreverence; from our sentimental piety, from our rational religion, which banishes the idea of God’s wrath [on sin]…If our gospel be obscure it is obscure to them in whom the anemic God of the day  has blinded their minds and hidden the Holy One who inhabits eternity. This holiness of God is the real foundation of religion — it is certainly the ruling interest of the Christian religion. In front of all our prayer or work stands ‘Hallowed be Thy Name.’ If we take the Lord’s Prayer alone, God’s holiness is the interest which all the rest of it serves. Neither love, grace, faith, nor sin has any but a passing meaning except as they rest on the holiness of God, except as they arise from it, and return to it, except as they satisfy it, show it forth, set it up, and secure it everywhere and forever. Love is but its outgoing; sin is but its defiance; grace is but its action on sin; the Cross is but its victory; faith is but its worship. The preacher preaches to the divinest purpose only when his lips are touched with the red coal from the altar of the thrice holy in the innermost place. We must rise beyond social righteousness and universal justice to the holiness of an infinite God. What we on earth call righteousness among men, the saints in heaven call holiness in Him.” (The Cruciality of the Cross, pp. 22-23.)

“When we are dealing with the holy, therefore, we are in a region which thought cannot handle nor even reach. We cannot go there, it must come to us. We are beyond both experience and thought, and we are dependent on revelation for any conviction of the reality of that ideal which moral experience demands but cannot ensure. Life is ruined if our greatest moral ideals are not fixed in the greatest reality; yet we have no means in our own power of any conviction of such [wholly Holy]. The holy is both urgent and inaccessible. It is imperative, yet unapproachable. The situation is only soluble by a miracle. That is the miracle of revelation, of grace. The unapproachable approaches, enters, tarries, lives, dies, conquers among us and in us, knows us into our only knowledge of itself, subdues all things to its sanctity, and establishes its good and blessed self in us and on us all…We do not only desire it [the holy], we dread it. Its very grandeur fills us with a sense of weakness, nay, of blame, shame, and despair. We are not only weak but helpless. And it is chiefly by our fault, crime, and sin. So we do not simply worship afar, we repent in the dust.”

“But what does that mean? It means that the revelation of the holy can only come through redemption by the holy; that to us, ruined by sinful act, the only truth that represents Him is an act; that the absolute reality of the active and mighty world in its actual case is expressible only in an Eternal Deed [the cross]. That the holy nature of God comes home by no prophetic exposition, even through apostle or Savior, but only by the priestly act in which the saving person consummates; that it cannot be taught us, it must be created in us by that act; that the Cross is the creative revelation of the holy, and the holy is what is above all else revealed in the Cross, going out as love and going down as grace; that the Holy Spirit’s point of departure in history is the Cross; and that while our justification has its source in God’s self-justification of His holiness there, our sanctification has the same source as both” (The Principle of Authority, pp. 4-7).

We should long to wade in the spiritual depth of Forsyth’s timeless insights. Man’s active defiance today in the face of the Holy Father is the result of him losing a sense of the Holy which has resulted in a loss of the blackness of sin; thus the woes we are experiencing in society. It is not the cross that needs banishing from society, as many are trying to do today, but the need of society is to knell before the cross. For both the holy-love of God and the judgment of our sins meet at the cross. At the cross Jesus presented the Father perfect holiness amidst the penalty due for our sins. He presented the Father loving obedience amidst the penalty for our loveless disobedience. It is only as we return to the cross that we discover that holiness is the root of God’s love, mercy, grace, forgiveness and redemption. It is at the cross one finds the answer to both the root problem and the answer to the woes of society and our individual lives.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

REPORTS OF MY DEATH ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 3 Comments

In 1897 a journalist was sent to check on the health of humorist and writer Mark Twain. Reports of his impending death were circulating. The serious illness of Twain’s cousin, James Ross Clemens, was mistakenly being reported that Twain himself was near death’s door. Twain, on June 2, 1897, recounting being told his obituary was being prepared, told the New York Journal, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.”MarkTWain

I never thought I would have to repeat the words of Twain in regard to my own viability, but may I say, “Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” Let me explain. The other night my wife came home after a trip to Wal-Mart relating an unusual encounter she had. She had been approached by a person who wanted to know if I had passed away. What?!? I hadn’t heard anything about it! To say my wife was startled is an understatement. It seems a preacher in the Elkin/State Road area had passed away from cancer whose wife’s name was Shirley, and since I was a preacher from that area, had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2013, and my wife’s name is Shirley, the conclusion was that it was me! After regaining her composure from hearing of my demise, my wife thought the whole conversation with her friend in the aisle of Wal-Mart was rather humorous. I didn’t quite see the incident as humorous as my wife did, as no one ever wants to hear about their death!

I would be less than honest, though, if I didn’t confess that in the last year thoughts of my mortality has been a frequent companion. It has been almost a year since I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and after the shock wears off from hearing those stunning words, you do take inventory of your own mortality. At age 62 I already realize I am sliding down the backside of the hill without anything pushing me any faster. My age and knowing my “c” diagnosis will be something that I will always have to keep a check on, I already realize the fragileness of life and what a precious, precious gift life is. Every new day I am privileged see the sun rise I realize it is a marvelous gift from the Good Lord.

None of us know the number of days we have been allotted on this earth, but while I am here I do want to make a difference in the lives of other people. I have been privileged to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ for over 40 years and I trust and pray it has made a difference in the lives of others. I have the promise it has for the Bible says, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). I have been privileged, as well, to coach high school runners for four decades and I am most thankful for the many young people I have been able to mentor and help over the years. It has been most rewarding.

I love life and I can never express in words how thankful I am for each sunrise I witness. I do want to hang around as long as possible. I am like the little boy who says he wants to go to heaven but he is not interested in getting up a train-load tonight! But this I know, there is an eternal hope that lives within me that assures me that when this life is over there awaits an Eternal City where there will be no sickness, heartache, death and where no one will ever grow old! That hope was given to me as a 19 year old on the night I embraced Christ as my Savior. Unless we are alive when the Lord returns, the day will come when all of us will have to depart this life through the doorway of death. But as the great evangelist D.L. Moody once said, “One day you will read that D.L. Moody has passed away. Do not believe it. For at the moment I will be more alive than I have ever been before.”

And until my faith becomes sight I hope to live each day to the fullest, being a faithful servant of the Christ of the cross. And one more thing, unless you hear it from me firsthand, reports of my death are greatly exaggerated!

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

THE GREATER MIRACLE

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

Upon reading the sixth chapter of John, one finds two of the best known miracles of Jesus in the Four Gospels; the feeding of the five thousand and Christ walking on the water. What miracles they are.WalkingonWater

In the feeding of the five thousand we find a group of people who clearly resemble many in our day. After they saw this super-natural miracle of Jesus feeding the large crowd with the multiplication of a lad’s small lunch, they wanted to take Jesus, the Master Provider, and make Him King. Jesus, however, would have none of that, and managed to escape from their midst, departing into a mountain to refresh His soul in prayer.

To those who desired to make Him King only because they saw a great miracle that resulted in them filling their empty stomach, Jesus spoke these words, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). They were not interested in following Him because of who He was, but only because they had their bellies filled and satisfied.

In the second miracle, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the stormy waters (John 6:16-21), it at first caused great fear to well-up in their hearts. But in the midst of the fierce storm they heard from the lips of Jesus these reassuring words,  “It is I, be not afraid” (John 6:20). It seemed those calming words from the Master of the Sea were sufficient to chase away the fears of the anxious disciples, and “they willingly received Him into the ship” (John 6:21).

Sadly, it seems that many today only make a commitment to Christ based upon what personal benefits may be obtained or gained from that commitment. It is easy to see the miracle but never see Him. The greater miracle is when we see Him in the storms of life. The greater miracle is seeing Him walking toward us when fear wants to grip and overtake our hearts. The greater miracle is seeing Him when the high waves of life seek to hide His face from us. The greater miracle is to hear His reassuring voice above the noise of the waves beating against our ships. The greater miracle is seeing amidst life’s disappointments His appointment to draw closer to Him.

It is as He walks with us on the troubled seas of life that we truly come to know Him and realize that the greatest miracle of all is knowing Him, walking in intimate communion with Him, and hearing His reassuring voice above the sound of the crashing waves. It is as we make Christ King of our hearts that we realize the providing of all other needs that occur in our lives are met as our personal relationship with Him grows, matures, and develops.

Recognizing His voice in the turbulent waters of life is enough to calm our greatest fears. Do you hear Him above the noise and distractions of the world? Do you see Him though the waves beat fiercely against you? If in those times you see Him, communion with Him, and hear His voice — then what a miracle indeed; yes, the greater miracle!

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

NO SHORTCUTS TO VICTORY

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 1 Comment

On Tuesday, April 22, the track and field team I am privileged to help coach, Elkin High School, competed in the Mountain Valley Athelctic Conference Championships. It is an eight team conference consisting of both 1A and 2A schools. The competition is usually fierce and if one is not prepared physically and mentally the results will not be what one hopes for.Phil314

Preparation for championship competition doesn’t began a week before the day of the scheduled meet. Preparation begins months before. I had runners this year that have been focused on being conference champions in their respected events since last year and worked to see that become a reality. It goes without saying those that approached Tuesday’s meet with such an attitude and a dedicated work ethic did extremely well, even reaching their goal of winning. No matter how gifted an athlete may be, unless they are willing to work a much less talented runner who has worked will beat them. I have seen that happen many times over the years. My philosophy has always been, work so hard that if you get beat make someone have to run very fast or jump very far to beat you.

It amazes me that there are always athletes who are not willing to work and who don’t adopt a winning mentality, who are surprised when they don’t do well when the competition becomes heated. When one becomes lackadaisical I their training or tries to take shortcuts to get to the top they soon discover there are no shortcuts outside of a good work ethic and proper mental attitude. One can’t expect to win the race when they have sought to take a shortcut to the victory stand.

Unfortunately, the same attitude that some athletes adopt in attempting to win without proper preparation can creep into our Christian lives if we don’t keep our eyes on the prize. There are no shortcuts in athletics or in the Christian life. Paul, in comparing the Christian life to that of a runner, tells us that if anyone competes as an athlete, he will not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules (2 Timothy 2:5).

What are our goals as Christians? Are we following the “rules” to achieve those goals? We want to enjoy His blessings without obedience; to claim His promises without surrender; to experience His presence without worship and fellowship, to know His will without following Him; to say we believe His Word without ever reading it; to have an intimate relationship with Him without a prayer life. Such thinking runs against the scriptural path to victory in every way. Are we trying to take shortcuts and still hoping to win the prize?

Sadly, we adopt wrong methods seeking to achieve abundant spiritual results. Too often we want a God who pours out His best upon us but makes no demands upon our lives. It doesn’t work like that in the athletic arena or in the spiritual realm. There can be no true blessing without obedience, no claiming His promises without surrender, no sensing His presence without daily communion, no knowing His will without following Him, and the Bible can’t guide our steps if we don’t hide the Word in our hearts. Trying to take spiritual shortcuts in hopes of achieving God’s best for our lives will not work.

Like Paul we need to faithfully “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14). The word “press” is the picture of a runner straining and focusing on the victory that awaits them at the finishline. Attempting to take shortcuts will not result in receiving His “prize” for our lives. Only faithful obedience will win the prize of knowing Him and reaping the rewards of such a relationship.

Let’s keep pressing toward the finishline!

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

WHAT HE DID HE DID FOR ALL

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

Yesterday the 118th running of the Boston Marathon was held. It is the most famous marathon (26.2 miles) in the world. The race was won by American Meb Keflezighi. It was the first time since 1983 that an American won the grueling test of endurance. Meb’s story is truly remarkable and inspirational. Born in Eritrea, he and his family were refugees who came to the United States in 1987 when he was 12 years old. He began running in middle school and quickly showed great promise. Attending UCLA on a track scholarship, he won four NCAA championships. In the fall of 1996 I was privileged to watch Meb win the NCAA Cross Country Championships which was held in South Carolina. After the race I had my picture made with him and got his autograph. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1998. He went on to capture for the USA a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics. Though his running career has been filled with much success, he has also had his share of disappointments and injuries.

American Meb Keflezighi's final stride of his emotional Boston victory

American Meb Keflezighi’s final stride of his emotional Boston victory

In an interview after the race he stated that after the Boston bombings at the 2013 race he made a vow to dedicate himself to win Boston, believing that it was only right that an American win in 2014. At almost 39 years of age that was no small task. For a solid year every time he laced-up his shoes to go run was for the purpose of winning Boston as an act of redemption for the Boston people. His thoughts, his actions and his focus were on winning Boston, a race an American had not won in 31 years. But his intentional focus resulted in a victory that wasn’t assured until the final half mile, winning by 11 seconds.  His winning was like the ending of beautifully scripted movie, turning last year’s tragedy into this year’s triumph.

He went on to say in a post-race interview, “I did not run for myself. I ran with last year’s victims in my heart. What I did, I did for Boston. My victory was for them all. My victory was their victory. What I did I give back to the city of Boston.” Meb’s Boston win and unselfish gesture to the city will go down in running folklore history.

Our Holy Father, as well,  planned for victory in regard to man’s sinful condition (Romans 3:23).  Sinful man needed someone to bring redemption to him. What would the Father do? Our God didn’t send a third party to provide for us that which we could not provide for ourselves, He came Himself. Paul writes, “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:21). His whole purpose in coming was for the redeeming of sinful man. His whole focus was on offering a Sacrifice for us which we could not offer ourselves. He came to meet the Holy demands of God for us and assume our responsibility for the judgment we deserve for not complying. Our God not only gave the Sacrifice, in Christ He was the Sacrifice! When He went to the cross He carried us in His heart. On Calvary’s hill of death Christ turned tragedy into triumph. When Christ offered the Sacrifice of Himself on the cross He did it for us all. When Christ arose from the dead he did it for us all. And the marvel of it all, His victory is our victory. We are partakers of all that Christ came to do and accomplish. We enter His victory by embracing Him in faith.

Christ won for us more than a laurel wreath that will eventually whither and crumble. The Bible says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). He won for us righteousness, forgiveness, mercy and grace, reconciliation with the Father, adoption into the family of God, freedom, peace, access to the Father, the Holy Spirit, and spiritual riches and an inheritance that is incorruptible, undefiled and fades not away” (I Peter 1:1-5).

Christ did not come for Himself, but for you and me. His living was our living. His dying was our dying. His resurrection was our resurrection. His victory was/is our victory.

Meb’s victory was sensational and inspirational, but in a few days his accomplishment will move from the front pages of the newspapers and will eventually fade into running history. However, what Christ came to do and did for all humanity will forever remain in the eternal-present and will forever remain on the front page of God’s eternal Word. And let us lift our voice in thanksgiving that what He did He did for us all.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

THE PRACTICALITY OF THE RESURRECTION

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 1 Comment

What a great day Easter Sunday was. It began with a Sunrise Service where over 100 people gathered to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Though cloudy, we witnessed a skyline with a reddish glow from a sun whose early morning rays pierced clouds that sought to hide its radiance. Like on that first Easter morning, the clouds of sin, the devil and death could not keep Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness, from piercing the darkness of this world with His glorious Light of redemption and reconciliation. As the cool gentle breeze brushed the cheeks of those gathered it reminded us of His ever abiding presence amongst us.  Liresurrection2fting our voices in praise that Christ arose from the dead, the birds, as well,  joyfully sang of His triumph over the grave. As we gathered we could still hear the  proclamation of the angels on first Easter morning echoing in the air, “He is not here, He is risen.”   Yes, “this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, [being raised from the dead] sat down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). That Christ arose from the dead is truly a wonderful truth worth lifting our voices in praise.

That Christ arose from the dead is a historical fact. Evidence from eyewitnesses of the Christ-event and even from writings other than the Bible by first century writers verifies the historicity of His resurrection. The cross and resurrection of Christ is the central point of eternity, history and the Christian faith. While Christians can celebrate the historical reality of Christ’s resurrection, what is the practicality of His resurrection? How does the resurrection impact our daily lives?

For the believer the practicality of the resurrection is that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us each and every day of our lives. Paul writes about this amazing truth, “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you” (Romans 8:11). Did you get that, the same power that raised Christ’s lifeless body from the dead dwells with us and in us; such power is available to us in our daily lives. WOW!!

If the resurrection power of Christ dwells with us and in us why should we think we can’t face and get through the obstacles, difficulties and mountains that we confront in life? Yes, we place our faith in a historical event, but much more, His living presence is accessible for the practicality of daily living. It matters not what the trial, the testing, or the temptation the resurrection power of Christ is there to strengthen us. Paul, as he faced his own obstacles, writes, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). Writing from a prison cell he knew the practicality of Christ’s resurrection power to help him in his situation.

The believer has access to “the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which [God] wrought (exerted, accomplished , brought to decisive finality) in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand…” (Eph. 1:19-20). This verse tells us that the power we have available to us was put to the ultimate test when Christ was raised from the dead. If such power was victorious in the raising of Christ from the cold dark tomb, cannot “the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe” help us in the adverse circumstances of our lives. Can you think of a situation that His power is not able to give us victory?

P.T. Forsyth eloquently writes, “From the New Testament point of view the seat of chief power and authority in the universe is the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ…For Paul the omnipotence of God was chiefly shown in raising Christ from the dead… [the] act wherein was exerted the whole power of God for the world – the resurrection of Christ.” Forsyth goes on to say the center point of the Christian’s faith must be in the two-fold event of the cross and resurrection and we must not lack faith in “the greatest exertion of omnipotence ever known – the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. We only [live] by the power of his resurrection.”

Our Christian faith rests upon Christ’s resurrection and His living presence in our midst. Yet are you and I living daily by the power of His of resurrection? Do we desire to know the power of His resurrection working in our lives? The practicality of the resurrection is that its power is sufficient to empower us in all of life’s storms and struggles. The supreme exhibition of the power of God is found in Christ’s resurrection, but are we relying upon such awesome power each day? While we gather every Easter Sunday to celebrate His resurrection, it is an event we can celebrate every day of the week. We can celebrate knowing His presence and power penetrates and invades every area of our lives.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

WHAT A PICTURE DOESN’T ALWAYS REVEAL

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

I have seen a lot of running pictures over the years, but this one is near the top of the list as one of my favorites. It speaks volumes, yet there is a lot it doesn’t tell. It was taken on Thursday, April 17 of Elkin’s Jacob Parker and Brandon Welborn purposely tying in the 800 meter race. The meet was a quad track meet with Elkin, East Wilkes, Ashe County and Forbush. Jacob and Brandon did the same in the 1600 meter race earlier in the meet. Etched on their faces are the joy of competing and the satisfaction of winning. Their tying reveals the respect they have for each other, the bond they possess as teammates and the unity of their spirits to be champions.Bran&Jac800

What the picture doesn’t reveal is all the hard work that went into making the “moment” happened. The picture doesn’t tell how the two run in practice like Siamese twins, often stride for stride as if connected at the hip, pushing each other to be better. The picture doesn’t reveal the year around running they do in all kinds of weather. As their coach I am one of the few people who knows the conditions they endure to achieve what they have. I have watched them run in the heat of the summer, the cold of the winter, the rain that pelts off their heads, chilling winds that knock them back one step for every two they take, and on days when they don’t feel like practicing they do anyway. I have seen them finish workouts fatigued, exhausted and just plain dog-tired. But the next day they are back to do it again with a smile on their faces. Their championship character and work ethic has garnered them both all-conference, all-region and all-state honors. They have lead their team to conference championships. And they keep striving to achieve more. The picture doesn’t reveal their unselfishness that encourages the other to win if the other cannot. The picture reveals them tying/winning as runners, but the picture doesn’t reveal their winning characters that makes them winners in the race of life.

Just as a picture may reveal some information, it always conceals much more. How true that is in life as we form a picture of others. Those we come in contact with daily may present to us a “picture” that all is well, but behind their forced smile and pleasantries there may be a hurting soul. Chances are everyone that crosses our paths behind the “picture” they want us to see is a person that needs our encouragement, our prayers, our patience and our caring. When we encounter someone we never really know what is going on in their lives and we need to be cognizant of that fact. We need to be a refreshing breeze and healing balm in the lives of those the Lord brings our way.

Each day we need to pray for sensitive hearts that help us look beyond just the surface “picture” we see that allows us to see the limp in the soul, the hurt in the eyes, the pain in the voice, and  the brokenness in the spirit.  We need to be enablers who apply Christ’s healing ointment into some of the wounds that have been inflicted in their lives. The time will come when we, too, will find ourselves needing to be on the receiving end of such spiritual medicine.

Let us not be so wrapped up in ourselves that we don’t have time to encourage a follow-weary traveler on the road of life. May we, like unselfish teammates, respect one another, as we are all “teammates” in the human race and as members of the human race we possess a bond in the experiencing of struggles and tussles. Troubles divided are easier to carry and joy shared is multiplied.
As our Heavenly Coach encourages us to love and care for one another, how much better it is to strive toward the finishline of life together, cheering one another on. Now that is a “picture” our Heavenly Father would love to see.

Blessings,

Dr. Dan

HE IS RISEN

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / 1 Comment

HEAROSE The cold dark grave could not hold Christ. The angels proclaimed on that first Easter morning, “He is not here. He is risen” (Matthew 28:6). The glorious resurrection of Christ authenticates all He came to be and accomplish by His life and in His death on the cross.

The cross of Christ – what love and grace; what amazing grace. For on the cross God in Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves. At the cross Christ assumed for us the responsibility of satisfying the holy demands of God and assuming our judgment for not being able to comply.

The proof that Christ was who He said He was and that God accepted the Offering of Christ is that He raised Him from the dead. Paul writes of Jesus the He was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4).

The resurrection of Christ is the indisputable proof that the life and work of Christ on the cross is accepted before a holy God as finished and complete. On the cross Jesus said of the work He came to do on behalf of God and man, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His resurrection is the confirmation that “it is finished.”

The author of Hebrews wonderfully states, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12). That Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father indicates that His work on the cross was accepted, is finished, and completed. That He is alive at the right hand of the Father indicates He has risen from the dead as verification that His work of redemption is finished.

Christ’s rising from the sealed tomb is God’s exclamation point and seal of approval of who Christ was and what He accomplished. The two fold act of the cross and the resurrection is our faith’s center of gravity. At the cross Christ was our Sin-Bearer, Redeemer, Forgiver, Reconciler, Bestower of Grace, our Savior and Lord. In the resurrection of Christ the power of God was dramatically proclaimed when the angel is heard heralding, “He is not here: for He is risen” (Matthew 28:6).

Christ bore our sins in His body on the cross, winning redemption for us from the midst of judgment upon sin. His resurrection is evidence redemption was won and forgiveness provided. His work on the cross does not simply pluck us out of the hands of sin, but He delivers us unto the hands of righteousness. His resurrection enables us to find refuge in God’s righteous hands.

Christ of the cross is our foundation for living, and it is by Him we must continually adjust our compass. Yet more than our foundation, because of His glorious resurrection on that first Easter morning He is our daily source. His resurrected presence is with us each and every day.

The center point of God’s revelation to man is Christ on the cross which brightly shines to sinful man a new light to the path of life, and because of His resurrection we share in His great victory over sin, the devil, and the pangs of death. P.T. Forsyth writes as only he can, “The seat of chief power and authority in the universe is the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are one with Christ, not only on His cross, but in His resurrection. As we are one with Him in the likeness of His death, so we are in the likeness of His resurrection. The revelation of God in the Cross of Christ [and His resurrection] is its own reforming principle and its own cleansing light.”

It is Christ and His action on the cross and His resurrection which creates within us anew and enables us to see Jesus and His cross as the foundation and certainty for the hope of humanity. Christ was born as King. He went to the cross as King. He arose as King. As the Risen King, He beckons us to Himself. Embracing Him in faith is the soul’s laying hold of Christ as its only source of life, pardon and salvation. While the world wants a Christless cross, the Christ of the cross calls us out of sin unto newness of life.
When our eyes are open to what God in Christ has done for us on the cross, how can we not come and kneel in thanksgiving and worship, embracing Him as Lord and Savior? For God in Christ provides for us atonement, redemption, forgiveness in the historical events of the cross and His resurrection. And it is at the cross and the open tomb humanity can find a restored relationship, redemption, and the adoption as sons and daughters of the Most High God.

He is Risen! My, what a Savior we have! Unto Him all praise and glory belongs.

Blessings,
Dr. Dan

UNTO HIM ALL PRAISE BELONGS

/ Dr. Daniel Merritt / Leave a comment

Angels wept in silence as they watched from on High,
as Jesus who left His throne in Glory prepared to die.
The earth quaked with fear as its Creator was nailed upon a cross of shame,
and the sun refused to shine its light upon those who jeered and mocked His holy name.
As sinless blood dripped to the ground that had once coursed through His veins,
the bitter taste of humanity’s sin filled His soul with anguish and pain.
A crown of thorns rested upon his royal brow as He hung suspended between heaven and earth,
the crowd taunting His claims of Kingly worth.
Having willingly fulfilled on our behalf heaven’s perfect and righteous demands,
He bowed His head and committed His spirit into the Father’s hands.
Was it right that One who had incarnated Love should die in such disgrace?
Yet the cross was in God’s divine plan to provide salvation for the human race.
Taken down from the splintered tree His body was laid in a garden tomb,
the beautiful budding flowers nearby hid by the dark clouds of sadness and gloom.
But the fog of despair quickly vanished before the rising Son of the first Easter morn –
His resurrection signaling a new Day had been born.PraiseHimSea.lg_
The birds burst forth in praise and angelic song,
Chirping in unison, “He is not here, He is gone.
Rising in power He ever lives bestowing forgiveness upon those who His pardon seek,
And in grace imparts strength to the weary and weak.
By His eternal Spirit with the lonely He does abide,
Promising to forever be our Friend and constant Guide.
When the hard winds of trials seek to knock us down and do us in,
Our risen Savior is there to pick us back up and set us upon our feet again.
An when at journeys’ end death grips us with its cold sullen hand,
He who robbed the Destroyer of his sting will usher us unto an eternal Land.
Then with angels who once wept in silence we will join in triumphant song…
“Hallelujah to the resurrected Savior and unto Him all praise belongs!”

Daniel Merritt